Asking a repairman is always your best choice to start with. However, keep in mind that they only see the problem machines over and over and maybe not the better quality. My sister bought a $300 Brother from Amazon 5 years ago. Sucker runs and runs and runs. She's had to do nothing for it. She is able to clean and oil it herself. Nothing plastic has ever broken. Me, on the other hand, paid $500 for my Brother and it's caused me a lot of problems with the tension.
When I went shopping for a machine last year, I decided to choose between Bernina and Janome. I had dealers who were not too far away. Repair guys had positive things to say about them. I know a woman who has a Bernina lemon, so I know it's not a perfect world there. I would have gone for the Janome if Bernina did not have a close out on their 440 with O% interest. So, I went with the Bernina. I have no doubt I would have been happy with the Janome. Huskvarna is a great brand, but the closest dealer was 40 miles away, now that Joann's no longer supports them in their store. Same with Pfaff.
No matter what brand or model, you will find that some people end up with lemons. You need to find out what your dealer will do for you. Unfortunately, this other woman I know, her dealer is very unhelpful, partly because of the customer who didn't tell her there were problems until over a year had passed.